8 Creepy Things All K-Pop Fans Do

Whether you are new to the K-pop fandom or a long-time stage 5 fan, one thing is certain: K-pop love is no joke. From screaming perfectly synchronized fanchants at every performance to making huge donations in honor of idols’ birthdays or debut anniversaries, K-pop fans mean serious business.

Unfortunately, the fervor of fangirl/fanboy devotion can develop into sasaeng behavior — stalking, hacking into social media accounts, etc. — which often leads idols to make public pleas for privacy. But I’m not here to talk about sasaengs. For now I’d just like us all to laugh and appreciate the fact that the Internet is a weird and wonderful place, and let’s be honest: If an alien (I wouldn’t complain if it were Do Min Joon) landed on Earth (or just hacked into our Tumblrs from Mars), it would probably find our typical fangirl/fanboy antics a little, well, creepy.

If you fall down one of many K-pop rabbitholes on the internet, you can find “appreciation posts” for specific idols’ hair flips, dimples, hands, jawlines, thighs, and . . . other body parts that fans love to ogle in 1080p.

4. Fangirling/fanboying just as enthusiastically to see your bias cross-dressing

5. Comparing idols to animals

In terms of animal doppelgängers, the K-pop world pretty much has its own menagerie, according to fans. Puppies? We have tons, especially beagles. Water creatures, like turtles and fish? Check and check. Dinosaurs? We got those, too.

6. Watching them eat, sleep, go shopping, go on vacation, etc.

If you’re doing this in real life, STOP STALKING. But if you’re simply watching one of the many TV shows or live streams meant to give us a peek into idols’ lives, by all means, please enjoy that next episode of “Showtime,” “Roommate,” “One Fine Day,” etc. — and let’s squee about it after you finish.

7. Reading and/or writing fanfiction, “reaction scenarios,” etc.

A simple Google search will ping back thousands and thousands of “fanfics” — stories written by fans that may range from a single short scene to a multi-chapter novel — with K-pop idols as the main characters. The internet is also home to countless “reaction scenarios.” Either at a fan’s request or of his/her own accord, a blogger will write imaginary scenes, often accompanied by GIFs, depicting each member of a group in a certain scenario: “Imagine if EXO surprised you for your birthday!” or “How would BTS react if you asked them on a date?” etc.

While these fanfics may be fun for us to read and/or write, a non-fan might not share our fangirl/fanboy sentiments…

Soompiers, how do you creep on your favorite K-pop stars?

minjiya can usually be found writing in a cafe, blasting K-pop dance tunes to motivate herself through long runs outside, or plotting her escape from the midwest. Say hello/send her a gif on Twitter @yaminjiya.